The Workhorse platform
A complete order and inventory management platform, synced with Xero — quote to invoice in one system.
5/5
.svg){kind=small}
4.9/5
4.9/5
A dedicated inventory platform
Workhorse includes the full order and inventory feature set expected of a dedicated inventory platform: quotes and sales orders, stock control, purchasing, production, despatch, invoicing and reporting — the same ground the mainstream inventory apps cover. Every customer starts with the complete platform — there's no cut-down starter edition and each system is then configured to the business that runs on it.
How that works is covered on configuration & customisation.
What's in the platform
The platform is made up of twelve modules, and every customer gets all of them.
.svg)
Quotes & sales orders
Quotes hold the full specification and per-line pricing, with your own pipeline stages and follow-up dates. A won quote converts to a sales order in one click, without re-keying. Orders can also be entered directly, uploaded in bulk, or arrive on their own: from a webstore, by EDI, or — through Workhorse's AI order processing — read automatically from customer purchase orders emailed in, with a confidence score against each line so only the exceptions need checking.
.svg)
Product catalogue
One record per product, with categories, units of measure, pack sizes and images. Aliases and supplier codes let different names for the same thing — yours and your suppliers' — resolve to one product, and the catalogue searches by any combination of code, supplier and category. Price lists attach to the right customers, with discounts, special prices and per-line overrides.
Inventory & stock control
Four figures against every product: in stock, allocated, on order and free to sell. Stock can be held across as many locations as needed — sites, warehouses, individual bays — with transfers recorded between them. Allocation is a reporting figure rather than a lock, so stock can be reassigned at despatch without unpicking other orders.
Batch, serial, kits, assemblies & BOMs
Batch tracking captures lot numbers and dates at goods-in and carries them through production to despatch, so the trace runs in both directions — supplier lot to customer delivery. Serial tracking keeps one record per unit, with its movements and history. Kits are assembled at the point of despatch; assemblies are built ahead and held in stock — each with its own bill of materials.
.svg)
Purchasing & supplier management
Supplier prices, currencies and lead times are held per product — including the same product from more than one supplier. Purchase orders are raised by hand, generated back-to-back from a sales order, or created in bulk from a shortfall run against reorder points and open orders, then emailed to suppliers from the system.
Goods-in & partial receipt
Deliveries are received line by line or in one go, with part-receipts as standard — a purchase order stays open until the last unit lands. Through Workhorse's AI goods-receipt processing, a goods-received note emailed or scanned in updates received quantities automatically, and barcode scanning is supported. Cost prices blend on every receipt, with freight and other landed costs allocated across the purchase orders they relate to.
.svg)
Work orders & production
Work orders generate from sales orders and consume components through the bill of materials — including a BOM composed per job, where no two orders are alike. Jobs move through production stages with their promise dates visible, and completed items go into stock, ready to despatch.
Despatch & fulfilment
Picking lists print per order or consolidated across orders — one trip per product rather than one per order. Despatch notes record what actually went out, part-despatch is standard behaviour, and back orders stay visible until cleared. Courier bookings through Shiptheory return tracking numbers and labels automatically.
Invoicing
Invoices are raised from what was actually despatched — or ahead of it, as deposit or pro forma invoices where payment comes first — and emailed to the customer from the system. Recurring invoices handle contracts and subscriptions.
Reporting
A standard suite covering stock value, sales and margin by product, customer and category, and reorder recommendations based on usage and lead times — plus the stock outlook, a forward view of stock, demand and incoming purchase orders by day, week or month. The product activity report keeps a full audit trail of every stock movement.
Tasks, users & permissions
Module-level permissions mean each person sees only what they need — the production team their work orders, the bookkeeper the invoicing. Tasks and follow-ups surface on a dashboard alongside quote follow-ups due, expected deliveries and overdue purchase orders.
Xero integration
The integration runs in both directions: invoices push to Xero the moment they're sent, completed purchase orders push through as bills, and payment status pulls back after reconciliation. The mechanics — what syncs, when and how — are set out on the Xero integration page.
Other integrations
EDI, e-commerce platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, Wix, Squarespace and eBay), Shiptheory, Pipedrive, Stripe and QuickBooks.
The full set is on the integrations page — and where an order source or system you rely on isn't there, building the connection is a normal part of implementation.
Set up around the business that runs it
Every Workhorse system starts as this complete platform. It's then configured during a managed implementation to the way each business quotes, buys, makes and ships, and supported after go-live. Where a process genuinely needs something no off-the-shelf system provides, we build for it.
What configuration and customisation each cover, and how the implementation runs, is set out on configuration & customisation.
Product businesses run on Workhorse across food and drink, bespoke manufacturing, wholesale and distribution, hire and repairs.
Read their stories on our customers page, or find your operation on who we help.
Book a discovery call
The easiest way to judge an inventory system is to see your own orders in it. Book a discovery call, bring a recent order or quote, and we'll walk it through Workhorse from entry to invoice.